Dead pig found at Cypress mosque

What may be animal intestines also discovered at the facility

Updated 2:06 am, Thursday, December 6, 2012

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

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Fahad Tasleem, resident Imam of the Islamic Outreach Center in Cypress, with Mustafaa Carroll, center and Ilyas Choudry, board member of ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), right, take photos of a grisly discovery of pig intestines hanging on the gate in front of the Islamic Outreach Center Wednesday.

Fahad Tasleem, resident Imam of the Islamic Outreach Center in Cypress, with Mustafaa Carroll, center and Ilyas Choudry, board member of ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), right, take photos of a grisly

Ilyas Choudry, member of the board of ICNA, points out a blood stain where a dead pig was found at the Islamic Outreach Center Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Cypress. The Islamic Outreach Center was started a few months ago in this rural area at 19025 Wilks Drive.

Ilyas Choudry, member of the board of ICNA, points out a blood stain where a dead pig was found at the Islamic Outreach Center Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Cypress. The Islamic Outreach Center was started a few

Ilyas Choudry, board member of ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), takes photos of the pig intestines. Tuesday evening, a member of the center discovered a dead pig on the front step of the new Muslim center but the intestines were not discovered until after a news conference Wednesday.

Ilyas Choudry, board member of ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America), takes photos of the pig intestines. Tuesday evening, a member of the center discovered a dead pig on the front step of the new Muslim

Bobbie Schroeder a neighbor of the Islamic Outreach Center Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Cypress, after a dead pig was discovered late last night on the front step of the new Muslim center.

Bobbie Schroeder a neighbor of the Islamic Outreach Center Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Cypress, after a dead pig was discovered late last night on the front step of the new Muslim center.

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Dead pig found at Cypress mosque

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The small, black pig lay dead on its side upon the wooden deck, a deep gash on the side of its belly.

That's what a congregant at the Islamic Outreach Center saw Tuesday evening when he and a handful of other worshippers arrived for nightly prayers. Worshippers also found blood stains near the door of the Harris County mosque.

"It looked like someone was trying to take it inside, but it was locked," said Ilyas Choudry, who helps run the center.

At the end of a news conference on Wednesday about the incident, mosque officials also discovered what appeared to be animal intestines hanging from the facility's front gate.

The intestines may have come from the pig, which appeared to be cut open.

Mosque officials believe someone may have left the pig at the Cypress-area center as an act of hate. They called the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating.

Sheriff Adrian Garcia said that while the incident has not yet been ruled a hate crime, it will be considered a possibility.

The Islamic faith does not permit Muslims to eat pork, and pigs are occasionally used symbolically against Muslims, according to the Houston chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations. In 2010, a businessman held Friday night pig races to demonstrate his opposition to a mosque in Katy being built next door to his establishment.

Fahad Tasleem, the imam at the Islamic Outreach Center, said the incident illustrates how important it is to educate the public about Islam.

"We'd rather have you come here and interact with us and get your questions answered," Tasleem said.

The Islamic Outreach Center, which opened its doors in July, sits on about 10 acres on the corner of Wilks Drive and Mueschke Road in a rural part of northwest Harris County. The center is housed in a double-wide trailer surrounded by a large wooden deck until a larger facility is built.

Tasleem said the center's location was partly chosen because of the lack of mosques in the area. Tasleem said mosque officials have introduced themselves to the residents in hopes of creating a friendly environment.

"For the most part, there hasn't been any real negative reaction," he said.

However, Bobbie Schroeder, who has lived on Wilks Drive for 31 years, said the mosque's construction has created a nuisance, causing noise and traffic.

"They have no respect for anyone else's feelings," she said.

Schroeder, 78, said she doesn't have anything against the Islamic faith, but wishes the mosque would have been built somewhere else because it depreciates the value of neighboring homes.